Walter Herschel Beech

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Walter Herschel Beech (January 30, 1891 – 1950) was a pioneer aviator.

He was born on January 30, 1891 in Pulaski, Tennessee. He started flying at age 14 and 7 months, when he built a glider of his own design in 1903. Then, after flying for the U.S. Army during World War I, he joined the Swallow Airplane Company as a test pilot. He later became General Manager of the company. In 1924, Beech joined Clyde Cessna in co-founding Travel Air Manufacturing Company, which was to become the world's largest producer of both monoplane and biplane commercial aircraft. When Travel Air merged with the Curtiss-Wright Airplane Company Beech became vice-president of the new corporation. In 1932 he and his wife, Olive Ann, co-founded Beech Aircraft Company. Their early Beechcraft planes won the Bendix Trophy. During World War II, he produced more than 7,400 military aircraft. The twin Beech AT-7/C-45 trained more than 90 percent of the U.S. Army Air Forces navigator/bombardiers and 50 percent of its multi-engine pilots.